December 21, 2009

It appears the "hectic pre-Christmas weeks" I wrote about in my last post were even more hectic than I expected. And especially so, when an upgrade (to Windows 7) which I - naively perhaps - thought I would perform in one day, turned out to be a time-consuming and obstacle-ridden nightmare, and one which (given the limited amount of spare time and energy in these "hectic pre-Christmas weeks") lasted just under two weeks....Anyway. It's all working now (<knocking on wood like an idiot>), so let's get on with it.

Although the Super Djata Band (see earlier posts) has covered songs from other artists (for example Coumba Sidibé's "Yamba", Abdoulaye Diabaté's "Massa Djourou" and Bazoumana Sissoko's "Yiriba") most of their songs are based on traditionals from the Sikasso region.

The track "Batila" (which on a later album was misinterpreted as "Bandjila"), for example, is based on a song performed by an uncle of Alou Fané. This uncle lived in a village about 70 kilometres from Sikasso where he was a regionally renowned balafon player, with links to the local komo circle.

In the case of "Sisse Na Djolo" a connection on a personal level too is at the basis of the selection. The song was composed by Na Hawa Doumbia and had been interpreted by her at the Biennale a few years before. She and her husband N'Gou were good friends of Daouda 'Flani' Sangaré and - like Flani's eldest son - living in Bougouni.

Of the two other songs on this album, which was released in the early 1980s (1982, according to Graeme on RadioAfrica) in Abidjan, "Nama Djidja" is in the typical Djata Band style, with lyrical references to several donso ngoni classics. Note the part where Flani names the musicians and the percussionists respond with a small solo.

It's the first song of this album that has caused some controversy. Some of you may recognise "Fongnana Kouma" from the version by National Badema with that great singer Kassemady Diabaté (and if you don't know this, please let me know and I'll be glad to post it later). Although it may not sound like a track from the Djata Band repertoire, both Flani and Zani Diabaté have assured me it is. Similar claims have, however, been made by members of the former Badema. Personally I have fond memories of this song. The first time I heard it was sleeping in a hotel in the centre of Bamako. I had some difficulty sleeping after I had spent the whole afternoon searching for Flani, who I later heard had travelled to Abidjan. Through the noise of the traffic (which also contributed to my insomnia) I kept on hearing the same Flani singing this wonderful, haunting song. In my semi-conscious state it seemed like the song went on for ever, but after a few hours it dawned on me they were repeating the cassette. So I decided to record it (this recording can be found here).

As before I have two versions of this lp, a cassette version (which I bought a few days later in Bamako) and a copy of the lp (which I copied years later). The cassette version of "Nama Djidja" is (for reasons only known to the producer of this cassette) shortened by almost a minute.

And to give you another idea of the quality of the Djata Band, here is another track of their 1984 concert in Angoulême, France. I just love the dancing in this track. If you look closely you'll notice the little idiosyncrasies which distinguish Flani's and Alou Fané's dancing....The balafon player, by the way, is Zani's late brother Bakari.

@swara: I would appreciate it if you could limit yourself to relevant links. I have a problem in finding the relation between the two programs, a thumbs file and a porn movie on the one hand, and this blog on the other....May I suggest you start your own blog?

wow. thank you so much for this.I think of "en super forme" as one of the truly big classic albums.Together withifang bondi's "saraba" and star band de dakar's "sala bigue", william onyeabor's "atomic bomb", hailu mergia, muluqen mellesse, mulatu astatke, basa basa soundz, maryam tsegue gebrou, the rail band and some more...thanks again...

I can't believe I never downloaded this, considering how much I've grown to love the music of the Super Djata Band since first sampling it on your site. They've become one of my favorites, and I can't help regretting they never quite broke through on an international level.

On the other hand, if they had, France might have beckoned, along with French studios. Thank all the gods they kept their rough, exciting, roots-based power.

@glinka21: You may have missed this, but the Djata Band have made two albums in France, one of which was recorded in a French studio. The second was recorded in the Melkweg in Amsterdam and subsequently mastered in a French studio.

@my friendUnfortunately not everyone has access to those memories, but of course, the album LIVE, is infinitely better than that sad album that published in the French studio.Maybe not their best, but they were enjoying it, and this is something I always feel.

About me

After more than 23 years of making radio programmes I am seeking new ways to share my passion for African and Latin music. My intentions are 100% non-commercial.
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